Fredrik Andersson is living the dream. His dad is running one of the worlds best skateparks for blading, his job is helping in the park and teaching kids how to blade, he is traveling the world with his buddies and a few times a year the same buddies visit him in his hometown. Fredrik is one of the guys who understand that park riding can be more then flipping the jump-box. He is bringing the street into the park and watching him killing a park on a good day is freakin impressive and makes you jealous. As a person he grew a lot in the past years and became someone with a strong personality and a guy you can always count on. He started to enjoy life more then he did in the past it seems, and thats because he knows what he wants and is not afraid of going for it.
Fredrik Andersson is on his way – and wherever that might take him, he will continue living the dream!
Shot by Dominik Wagner
Full name: Fredrik Karl Rickard Andersson
Age: 27
Blading since: 1997
Born in: Eskilstuna Sweden
Currently living in: Eskilstiuna
Sponsors: Razors, Zero One Six skatepark and Hedonskate.
Setup: Black Razors sl
Shot by Kuba Urbańczyk
Relation ship status: Amazed about living.
First ever pair of blades:
Eraser Pro elite I think they were called. I got them for christmas when I was 14 I think. I had been renting skates for a couple of weeks but these were my first own pair of skates. I put some CDS Detroit soul plates on them too.
First video you ever watched: VG 6
Favorite Pro: Richie/Nils
Favorite Am: Glowicki
Favorite artist / band: I listen to everything, but right now maybe Wiz.
Favorite food: My mom makes awesome mose steak rolls with potato.
Worst food: Sushi
Best job: Blading!
Worst job: No job.
Favorite city: Berlin for skating seeing people and have a fun time. Kho Lanta for hammock and a book, maybe some happyshakes
Favorite terrain to blade: Banks and transition
Worst injury: Long non heeling knees. I fucked up my finger last summer, and thats still not good at all.
Best trip in 2012: Hedonskate / Gypsy summer tour 2012
Last trip: Egypt and right now I’m in a car driving from Dallas to Houston.
Next trip: Driving from Dallas to California to try the Mega ramp and all that. And then back to Dallas for two weeks.
Next video you are filming for:
I have a couple of edits I wanna finish. Right now me Josh and Mirek are doing a road trip from Dallas to Cali so there will probably be something coming out of that.
You are working for Zero One SIx Skatepark. What exactly is your job there?
A normal day for me would be, waking up drink coffee and check internet, after that I get a bus/bike depending on the weather and also I have a few people I can catch a ride with. When I get to the skatepark we start with cleaning the whole park including wiping the ramps. When thats done we go and get bread from the local bakery and make sandwiches which we sell in the park, so always fresh sandwiches. We make sure that everything is ok and looks good before we open the doors and let people in. This is were the real fun things happen. Between 3 and 8 I‘m skating with everyone in the park and sometimes if there is skateboarders I get my board and session with them for a wile (normally there is only bladers in the park).
So thats about it. On Sundays I get to the skatepark around 1 and have blade classes till 3.
BMX riders are only welcome on Wednesday so on them days I make orders and plan future events and so on.
Working in such a perfect skatepark seems amazing. It is your dream job, or is there something else you would like to do later on?
Its definitely my dream job, I’m so lucky to have what I have right now. Being in the skatepark everyday can twist your motivation a bit but I just have to remember what a great job it is and there is always a screwdriver and wood so I can always change my “office”.
Also it feels great to be able to bring something back to blading, getting more people to skate and help ZeroOneSix and Hedonskate to grow.
Later I would like to live somewhere with sun all year and nice nature, a small house on the country side with a miniramp, thats my dream set up.
Is it like a normal job with a fixed amount of holidays, or can you travel to events and and go on tour´s whenever you what?
I have a specific amount of days days off that I get every year, but going to events is also a little part of my job in the way that I talk with people and invite them to Sweden. Also planing trips to sweden with pro´s for our events and tours…
Whats the best and the worst about living in a small town in Sweden?
Best got to be that everything is relative close so you don’t really need a car, you can bike and walk almost everywhere. Also Eskilstuna is a beautiful city with a lot of nature around it so walking for example to the skatepark which is 40 minutes is a nice walk.
The worst got to be that almost everyone knows everyone but even that can be cool sometimes.
You were sponsored by USD but then quit, on what blades you´re on right now?
I skated USD for a long time and needed a change, there is people in the USD management that are not so cool.
Also I had a lot of other shit that happened in my life at that moment so leaving everything and start fresh was easy. I dropped USD and checkout out what the inline industry had to offer. Luckily I had Hedonskate by my side, so I tried some skates and found that the Razors sl boot was really comfy and great to skate, so thats what I‘m riding at the moment.
In 2012 you traveled quite a bit and rumors is that you plan on doing it even more in 2012. Even moving to Berlin for a few months seems an option? Whats exactly in the plans for next year?
Yeah man, 2012 was the Gypsy year! Great year with loads of travel and finding new friends along the way. 2013 isn’t starting out to bad either. I’m in Texas right now to visit Joshua for a month. We are going to drive around Texas and the rest of theUSA, like driving from Dallas to Cali with Mirek from Hedonskate and Fritz Peitzner. So keep your eyes open for a film about our trip.
You were rally competitive when I met you first, but at the last Zero One Six competition you told me you are done with the whole competition thing. Is that in general, or are you just tired of riding against yourself in your own park?
I was a real comp rat before, tried a lot and really wanted to win every comp I went to. But once you get older and you realize what life is and you find out more about yourself it all just became something I feel like I don’t want to do anymore. I enjoy to go to events to watch and skate but trying to get in first place is not me anymore. My favorite session now is a non planed session with my friends and maybe get a clip or two.
There is loads of young kids in your park. is there something you try to give them on their way besides the tricks you´re teaching them?
The kids scene is incredible in Eskilstuna, we have so many motivated bladers. We have most on our focus on the youth. They all are real friendly and take care of each other. We are all a big family in the park. I try to motivate everybody and help people if they wanna figure out a trick or what ever there is. Just trying to be really social and helpful.
We have kids that are gathering up for Winterclash so look out for the kids with grey Hedon/016 tees.
Thanks for you time! Hopefully see you in Berlin next summer! Any shouts out?
My family first of, thanks you all for supporting me! Love you.
Also would like to thanks Hedonskate for these last years and the upcoming ones! Best shop there is! Not to forget my traveling Gypsys, you all know who you are! THANKS!
Thanks Blading.info and Jojo Jacobi for doing this. PEACE
Thank you Freddy, I hope you know that my trip to Eskilstuna is one of the highlights of the year for me! See you soon!
http://vimeo.com/video/28919671
